Maruti Suzuki to introduce its first MPV Ertiga on April 12, 2012

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), the leading car manufacturer of India, is all set to enter the Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) segment for the very first time with its upcoming model, Ertiga. With this step, Maruti Suzuki would be looking forward to complete its collection of passenger vehicles. Ertiga would be launched in India on April 12, 2012. According to reports, the company has invested approximately development cost worth Rs. 400 crores on this model.

According to Mayank Pareek, Managing Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales), MSIL, "What we are trying here is to create a new segment of compact MPVs, just as we did with Swift in the hatchback segment. We have not been present in the MPV segment despite being the overall market leader in the country." He added that with the launch of Ertiga, the company would achieve its aim of completing its passenger vehicle portfolio.

Mayank Pareek even expressed his views on significance of bringing Ertiga in the Indian automobile market. He stated that SUV and MUV segments have recorded sales of 30,000 units on a monthly basis and with Ertiga, MSIL would be able to make its place in this segment too. The Managing Executive Officer of MSIL commented, "In India, there are about 15 million cars and about 8 million owners are looking to upgrade, but not all of them are simply just considering bigger cars. They are looking for family oriented MPVs, which is what we are targeting." Pareek has chosen not to comment upon the company’s sales expectations from the upcoming model.

The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga would be available in the Indian automobile market in petrol as well as diesel variants. The petrol variant will be equipped with a 1.4 litre engine and diesel model would be powered by a 1.3 litre powertrain. As far as fuel economy is concerned, the petrol and diesel variants would deliver mileage of 16.02 kmpl and 20.77 kmpl, respectively.

Commenting on sales growth for the next fiscal, Mayank Pareek added that the first half would be challenging for the company as market conditions are not at their best. He added that company is positive about the sales growth in second half, especially during the festive season.

In a nutshell, the industry is expected to grow between 5% and 10% but MSIL would aim to do better. As per the latest figures, 12.29% decline in total sales has been recorded by MSIL in the current fiscal. This percentage is based on the sales of 10,07,743 units in April-February 2010-11, against 11,49,053 units in the same period in the previous year.